Solve a Snake Cube Puzzle | Step By Step

Wood puzzle games have a long history. They date back as far as humans have been able to cut and shape wood. It's no surprise that wood puzzle games are still around, but as carving and understanding gets more sophisticated, so, too, do the puzzles. What once would have been brain teasers based on careful manoeuvring of linked rings or blocks, modern puzzles are more likely to use the wonders of elastic strings and bands to let puzzlers solve the riddle in new and interesting ways. There are a variety of these types of wooden puzzles, but the one we're talking about today will be a wooden cube puzzle.

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What is a Wooden Cube Puzzle?

A wooden cube puzzle is a type of wooden puzzle in which the solver is given an unfolded cube and challenged to re-arrange the pieces to reform the cube. One such puzzle could be the shape of a character, such as Santa Claus. Others take on a different form, such as the snake puzzle.

This type of puzzle is a called a wooden snake cube puzzle, or just a snake puzzle if you prefer. The puzzle itself is a long strip of connected wooden cubes. Inside the cubes is a length of elastic string, which ties inside the first and last cubes of the entire puzzle. When solved correctly, the "snake" turns into a cube. It's a pretty tough puzzle, so you may be wondering how to solve a snake puzzle. Follow the steps below, and you'll be a pro in no time!

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How To Solve a Snake Cube Puzzle

Step 1: First, you must consider the puzzle to be lots of small pieces rather than as a whole. Focus on one piece at a time. First, arrange your cubes to make a piece that is three blocks long.

Step 2: Bend a cube to the right, to create an L shape.

Step 3: Extend the L down one more cube, so that you have a 3 length piece, and just next to it, a 2 length piece.

Step 4: Fold upwards from the second cube of your second row.

Step 5: Fold the next cube right.

Step 6: Fold 2 more cubes downwards.

Step 7: Fold the next cube to your left, so this will create another side of 3 cubes.

The shape you have now should be a length of three cubes with another three on the top, with two "pillars" in the middle, each three cubes tall as well.

Step 8: Fold at the end of your second complete line of three, from along the top, back onto itself, so that you've created a second layer on top of the first.

Step 9: Wrap around the pillars in the middle, laying a strip of 3 cubes along the top of your original 3.

Step 10: Wrap around the pillars again, and then move the cubes downward, as if the cubes were water pouring down the side of your cube.

Step 11: Finish the bottom line of three cubes on the right-hand side of the puzzle.

Step 12: Fold the puzzle upwards, and come back around the layer of three cubes you just laid down. This will create a 3 x 3 side on the right side of your puzzle.

Step 13: Finish wrapping the remaining cubes around the exposed pillars in the centre of the puzzle. You should be done!